Negotiations on Britain’s withdrawal from the European Union have
reached a decisive moment as a draft agreement won the support of
the Tory government in London.

A closely-watched meeting of the British cabinet ended tonight with the
British Prime Minister making a public statement to say her cabinet had
made the “collective decision” to agree a draft text with the European
Union.

Speaking to the media outside No 10 Downing Street, Theresa May said
there had been “decisive progress”. She said the draft deal involved
difficult choices but was in the “national interest”.

She said that she and her ministers had a “long, detailed and
impassioned debate” on the draft withdrawal agreement and that she
believed it was the “best that could be negotiated”.

“This is a decision which enables us to move on and finalise the deal in
the days ahead,” she said.

A number of reports indicate that significant changes have been made in
the draft text to a previously agreed border ‘backstop’. The mechanism
is intended to ensure that there will be no return of inflammatory
border checks or controls in the north of Ireland.

It now appears likely to be subsumed into a bigger scheme for a customs
deal for the full British jurisdiction, thus averting the potential
‘border in the Irish Sea’ which had been bitterly opposed by unionists.

Media coverage was focused today on the opinions of hard-right Tories
and their allies in the unionist DUP. Theresa May requires the support
of both groups to pass votes at Westminster and to maintain her minority
government.

In order to satisfy them, the new backstop also now includes a review
mechanism -- described as a ‘backstop to the backstop’. It means that
the arrangement can be ended at a future date through an alternative
reached by arbitration between Britain and the EU. A legal structure
would prevent the British from unilaterally reneging on the deal, a
suggestion which came under strong resistance from unionists and the
anti-EU Tories today.

Another major issue for Brexit hardliners at the cabinet talks was the
EU requirement of a ‘level playing field’, which would limit Britain’s
capacity to forge international trade deals while it remains in the EU
Customs Union.

The draft withdrawal agreement, which has been drawn up alongside a
statement of future relations with the EU, has not yet been published,
but is thought to run to some 500 pages.

Speaking before the British Prime Minister made her statement this
evening, Sinn Fein leader Mary Lou McDonald said the withdrawal
agreement must give legal effect to the ‘cast iron’ guarantee on the
border which the Taoiseach Leo Varadkar claimed to have secured in
December.

“While we await the publication of this document, it is a matter of
concern that some are presenting the backstop agreement as temporary,”
she said.

“Brexit is for the long term and what is required is a durable,
permanent and legally robust agreement that safeguards Irish interests
and ensures there is no hard border on the island of Ireland.”

Sinn Fein MEP Martina Anderson has also warned that the rights
associated with the Common Travel Area -- travel protections, residency
and social rights -- must be protected from Brexit.

“We cannot allow any diminution of our rights as a result of the Brexit
strategy being pursued by the Tories and their allies.

“We have been given ‘cast iron’ guarantees on our rights by the Irish
government. Now we need to see action on those guarantees to protect our
rights.

“Our rights cannot be sacrificed to a Brexit that people in the north
rejected. We need action from the EU and the Irish government to ensure
the Tories do not undermine our rights.”

Leo Varadkar seemed to be caught off guard yesterday as news emerged of
a possible deal, admitting in the Dail that he had no information about
it and dismissing reports as “headlines”.

But earlier today he said unionists should be assured that the text
would not negatively impact “the territorial integrity of the UK”.

He said he recognised that “for the unionist community this is quite a
difficult time”. He did not refer to the concerns of the nationalist
community.

“I know many unionists may be feeling vulnerable, isolated and many may
be quite worried about what may be agreed in the coming days,” he added.

“I want to say to them - the Good Friday Agreement will be protected -
it includes a recognition of the fact we respect the territorial
integrity of the UK and the principle of consent, that there will be no
change to the constitutional status of Northern Ireland unless a
majority of people say so.”

He said he was happy to have that written into any agreement as a legal
guarantee.

DUP leader Arlene Foster travelled to London today and said she wanted
to meet May discuss the draft text in person. A meeting is set to take
place later this evening -- to protests from politicians in Scotland,
Wales and other parties in the north of Ireland, who have all been shut
out of the talks.

Mrs Foster said she would “not be led by the Irish government” about
coming to a view of the draft deal.

“We are concerned about the narrative that has built up around the prime
minister’s proposal,” she added.

“We will make our own judgements, and we will certainly not be led by
the Irish government who have been aggressive in all of this.”

Mrs Foster said if Theresa May reneged on commitments she had made,
there would be “consequences”.

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